


The Things We Share

by Telesilla



Series: A Thing or Two About the Giants [8]
Category: Baseball RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Baseball, M/M, Open Relationships, Threesome - M/M/M, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-22
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 08:52:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/976849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telesilla/pseuds/Telesilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"If you are looking to experiment, then why not do it with someone who knows what the hell they're doing?" -- Hunter Pence to Brandon Crawford</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things We Share

_September 6, 2012_  
 _off day at home_

The trip to Napa with Brandon and Haylee turns out to be a lot of fun. After blowing his diet at dinner the night before, Hunter declared himself the designated driver, which gives him a chance to watch Brandon and Haylee get tipsy and a little giggly. He's not sure how they manage it, but he doesn't feel like a third wheel once, even when Brandon leans in from the back seat at one point and starts feeling Haylee up.

"I'd do the same to you," he says to Hunter. "But you're driving."

"Yeah. Also she's got more interesting things going on above the waist than I do."

"I don't know," Haylee says. "I've seen pictures of you with your shirt off."

Hunter thumps his head lightly against the headrest. "You take your shirt off once...."

"In public," Brandon adds.

"For charity!"

"Poor baby," Haylee says, patting him on the knee.

The Belts, Hunter quickly learns, have pretty terrible taste in wine. Brandon likes the sweet stuff and ends up buying a couple of bottles of incredibly sweet muscat. Haylee like her wine white and very very light; she buys something that's a little sweet and slightly fizzy.

"What do we know about nice wine?" Brandon says when Hunter teases them about it. "We're a couple of hicks."

"Which reminds me honey," Haylee says. "We need to get some new Mason jars to drink this stuff out of."

They stumble on the restaurant when Hunter gets turned around in Sonoma. Haylee spots a kitchen store she has to visit and right across the street from it is a little Italian place with an interesting menu.

"C'mon, Brandon," Haylee says, tugging on Brandon's arm a little. "Hunter, help me here. He never wants to go to new places."

"It's pasta," Hunter says, pointing to the menu. "Look, they have lasagna."

"Why do I feel like I'm twelve again?"

"Because you're acting like it," Haylee says firmly. "Now come on."

The food is fabulous. "I'm going to eat nothing but vegetables for a couple of days," Hunter says.

"Duck's not okay?" Brandon asks. He's plowing through his lasagna with a happy grin and Hunter hopes he hasn't been ruined for the Olive Garden. Olive Garden food may be nothing special, but it's part of Brandon's roadie routine and Hunter can respect that.

"Duck's fine; it's the stuff that came with it. And the way it's cooked. It's really rich."

"This is all rich," Haylee says. "And fabulous."

They've reached dessert, tiramisu for Brandon and Haylee and coffee for Hunter, when a kid comes up to the table. He's about thirteen or so and his expression is one Hunter's seen hundreds of times. He's clearly nervous as all fuck, but also determined; when Hunter glances at the kids parents, the mom looks worried.

"Hey," Brandon says as soon as he sees the kid. He holds out his hand curled into a loose fist and fist bumps the kid. "I'm Brandon. You like the Giants?"

"Yeah," the kid says with a big smile. "They're my favorite team."

"Let me guess...." Brandon says, tilting his head a little. "You play a little ball, don't you?" When the kid nods, Brandon grins. "It's the tan," he says and pulls up his sleeve. "We all have it."

"What position do you play?" Hunter asks. "I'm Hunter," adds, like the kid doesn't know.

"Shortstop."

Brandon holds out his hands. "Lemme see your hands...yeah, I bet you're pretty good. I should tell Crawford he's got competition in a few years."

Everyone else in the little courtyard dining area is watching now, but Brandon keeps all his focus on the kid, Jacob. He finds out what school Jacob goes to and the name of his team and that he wants to play ball in college. While they're talking, Haylee slides out of her seat and talks to Jacob's mom for a moment or two.

By the time Jacob goes back to his table, he's got a cloth napkin signed by both Hunter and Brandon and there are a dozen or so photos on his mom's phone. Haylee's got the family's name and an address and everyone in the place is smiling.

"We should visit his school," Brandon says as they get back in the car. "Show up at practice or something. Maybe next off day or before a night game."

"That would be fun," Hunter says. After a moment he turns and looks at Haylee. "You guys thought about kids?"

"I can't," she says.

"Fuck. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. We talk about adopting someday, but not for a while."

"I'm too irresponsible to have kids," Brandon says. "I mean really, me? A dad? Maybe an uncle if Bum and Ali have a kid."

"What about you?" Haylee asks. "Do you like kids?"

"In small doses. I've got a niece and a couple nephews and it's fun being Weird Uncle Hunter."

"We could be weird uncles together," Brandon says.

Hunter knows he's just saying it to be funny, but the idea of them being together in some way, even just as good friends, for the long haul, sounds pretty good.

It's pretty late when they get back to the city. "You kids okay to drive?" Hunter asks with a grin as he hands Brandon the keys.

"Yes, Dad."

Haylee's looking around. "This is nice," she says. "You can walk to the park from here?"

"Yeah and up the Embarcadero on the other side. I go up to the farmer's market in the Ferry Building every few days."

"Fun," she says and then hugs him. "I'm really glad you came along and not just because you did the driving."

"I had a good time," he says and means it.

When it's Brandon's turn to hug him, he gets a kiss too. Nothing extreme, but still, it's yet another acknowledgment that, for the moment, he has a place in Brandon's life.

Once they're gone, Hunter stands in his bedroom and looks out at the darkness of the bay for a long time. Less than a week since he followed Brandon into that men's room, he thinks. And now he wants a place in Brandon's life. What the hell?

Is he in love with Brandon? Hunter's not sure because he's never been in what he thinks of as love before. He's been in lust plenty of times, but his relationships have been a succession of fuck buddies. Some of them have been real friends, but none of them were guys he wanted to...be involved with on this level. Whatever that means.

Who knows, he thinks. Nothing he can do about it right now and he's going in with his eyes wide open.

* * *

_September 7-9, 2012_  
 _vs Dodgers_  
 _W 2-5_  
 _L 3-2_  
 _W 0-4_

They win, then lose, then win again. It's the Dodgers, so every game of the series feels like the post-season; the crowds are wild, even for AT&T. It's not like Hunter didn't know about the rivalry, but knowing about something is one thing. Actually living it? That's something very different. It's even more intense because each game matters. They're slowly pulling away from the Dodgers, but that just makes LA dangerous.

"I guess we're supposed to hate each other," Hunter says to Victorino when they meet up before the first game.

"I got a head start on that, asshole."

"Fuck you," Hunter says, throwing a mock punch at him.

"Speaking of fucking, I've heard some interesting things about your boy Belt."

Hunter can't even be angry. "Yeah, no. Kid has some standards, after all. You'd be out of the running even if you weren't wearing the wrong uni."

"Hey," Crawford yells at Hunter. "Stop consorting with the enemy."

"You couldn't pay me enough," Hunter yells back. He turns back to Victorino. "You better buy a new couch; you're gonna need one by the end of the month."

"You work on that golf game of yours, because your off-season's coming soon."

"What was that all about?" Brandon asks once batting practice starts. "Were you guys friends?"

"Not really. He's actually kind of a dick, really, but you know how it is. You play with a guy a while...." He pauses. "You know something? That's why I like this team so much."

"Oh?"

"I can't think of a single guy on it that I just put up with. This is a really good bunch of guys."

"Yeah they are, you big softy."

"He asked about you, by the way."

"No thanks. I mean there are Dodgers I might stretch the rules for, but not him."

"You've got a strict no Dodger policy then?"

"Yeah. Cainer told me I'd be in big trouble if I went there."

Hunter stares at him. "You actually had that conversation with Cain?"

"Yeah, that was the night I hit on Posey."

"You hit on...oh right, he said something along those lines. Well, he implied it. But Cain was there?"

"It was pretty hilarious." Brandon pauses to watch as Crawford launches one into the seats. "So we're in this bar in...I can't remember. DC maybe? Anyway, I'd caught Posey sneaking around the hall early that morning and so I figured he fooled around, and seriously, wouldn't you want some of that?"

"Are you kidding? He's like the all American boy next door in a porno. I'd hit it in a hot second."

"Yeah, well, I tried. And he completely froze up. Totally looked like a deer in the headlights." Brandon shakes his head. "Then Cain came up and asked me if I was hitting on his partner and that's when I found out about all of them."

"That must have been one hell of a conversation."

"It was really funny. Cainer and I got into a discussion about whether random guys or dudes from other teams were better hook ups for me. Posey turned pink and kind of looked like he wanted to crawl under the table. I'm a hundred percent sure Cainer's the only guy he's ever slept with. In fact, I think he's only slept with three people in his life."

"Wow." Hunter turns that over in his head and then frowns a little. "Cain talked about pick ups? Like, he used to sleep around?"

"I got the impression that he did a little. Before Posey. They've all been together since 2010." Brandon shrugs a little. "The moral of the story is, I'll be in big trouble if I sleep with a Dodger. Even Matt Kemp."

"Poor you."

"Because you wouldn't do Matt Kemp."

"I'll take the Fifth on that...okay, no. I'd totally sleep with him."

And then it's Hunter's turn to take batting practice.

* * *

"So," Brandon says as they get dressed after Saturday's game. They lost and the locker room is quiet; the reporters talked briefly to Affeldt and then took off. "You busy tomorrow after the game? I was thinking maybe we could...."

"Fuck?" Hunter says with a grin.

"I was going to say hang out." Brandon glances at him with a little smirk. "Where hang out means fuck."

"We could do both. Fuck, play some Call of Duty, fuck again, snack, fuck some more."

"What exactly do you snack on? Besides kale chips, I mean?"

"Jerky," Hunter says. "Raw veggies with guacamole or salsa, trail mix, fruit...that sort of thing. I can actually grill if we feel like it; we've got a grill out on the balcony."

"Don't you ever wish you could just order a pizza?"

"Sometimes. But I've cheated a lot lately and you know, I actually like eating this way most of the time."

"Weirdo."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Not at all. I like your various weirdnesses."

"And here I thought it was all about my abs."

"Them too."

* * *

They settle for playing The Show. Hunter's pretty good at it...Brandon? Not so much. "Jesus, and I thought I hit bad at the park," Brandon says.

"Bullshit," Hunter says. "You're just streaky. Guys like you...it'll take a few years before you really get it together."

Brandon sets his controller down and turns to look at Hunter. "You think?"

"Yeah, I do. Like I said, it's going to take some time and you might have to make some adjustments down the line but you'll get there. And you'll have a gold glove or two along the way." Hunter reaches out and slides his fingers between Brandon's. "I'm looking forward to saying 'I told you so.'"

Instead of saying anything, Brandon just lifts their hands and kisses one of Hunter's fingers. Then he's untangling their hands and nibbling at Hunter's index fingers. "You have the best hands," he says, before kissing Hunter's palm. When he flicks his tongue out and licks along Hunter's palm to the base of his thumb, it's like he's found nerve that leads straight from Hunter's palm to his dick.

"Fuck," Hunter moans. "Jesus, Brandon...."

"Yeah?"

"You drive me fucking crazy...." He presses his palm over Brandon's mouth, shivering as Brandon just keeps licking him. Carefully but steadily, Hunter keeps pushing against Brandon's face until Brandon's sprawled on the couch beneath him. "What can I do to you?" he says, leaning down until he can feel his breath on the back of his own hand. "Anything, right? You can't tell me no, after all."

It's bullshit, of course; Brandon could get free with nothing more than the twist of his shoulders. He doesn't though; he just looks up at Hunter with wide eyes. Keeping his hand clamped over Brandon's mouth, Hunter reaches down with the other hand. Instead of undoing Brandon's jeans, he just presses down hard against Brandon's dick. He thinks about doing more, but no, right now, this is enough.

When he rubs his hand along the fly of Brandon's jeans, he increases the pressure; he wants Brandon to feel it. Any worries that he's using too much pressure vanish when Brandon arches into it. "Yeah?" Hunter murmurs, rubbing harder. He wants it to hurt, just a little. He and Brandon haven't talked about pain and limits yet, although that was a pretty serious spanking Brandon took last week. But Hunter's going to be careful anyway. After all, Brandon's got to tuck his dick into a cup tomorrow.

He presses down a little harder and Brandon groans against his hand. He does it again when Hunter starts using the heel of his hand and really leaning into it. As he rubs Brandon's dick, he keeps his hand over Brandon's mouth. He's not pushing down too hard, but he feels like he's got Brandon anchored by his hands. And maybe Brandon feels the same way too; his body arches between Hunter's hands like a bow.

God, Hunter thinks, I need to really tie him down and play with him some night. For now, though, he keeps working the heel of his hand over the front of Brandon's jeans until Brandon shudders hard and comes. He sinks back down into the couch after and when Hunter finally raises his hand off Brandon's mouth, Brandon's got a lazy, contented smile on his face.

"That was pretty hot," he says. "If a little messy. I liked your hand over my mouth though."

"Yeah? That was nice." Hunter leans down and gives him a quick kiss. "I wasn't too hard on your dick, was I?"

"Nah, I'd have let you know." Brandon smiles up at him. "Speaking of dicks though...what can I do for you?"

"How about I leave it up to you?"

"Can you actually do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're pretty toppy." Before Hunter can even start to worry, Brandon shakes his head. "No no, I'm not complaining. Not at all. I've...." He trailed off and frowned a little. "Do you want me to talk about myself, or get you off?"

"How about both? Orgasm now, food and talking later. Unless you'd rather not talk?"

"Nah, that works for me." Brandon reaches for Hunter. "Straddle me...yeah like that."

Once he's got his knees on either side of Brandon's hips, Hunter looks down at Brandon. "Now what?"

"I got it." Brandon reaches up and undoes Hunter's fly. "You little pervert," he says when he realizes Hunter's not wearing any shorts. "Or not so little."

"Compared to you...." Hunter's voice trails off as Brandon starts using his hands on Hunter's cock. "Anyone tell you you have gorgeous hands?"

"Not really."

"Well you do...oh fuck...."

With a soft little chuckle, Brandon keeps jerking Hunter off. "You know what I want?" he asks after a couple of moments. "I want you to come all over me again."

"Jesus..." Hunter gasps as Brandon rubs his thumb over the head of Hunter's dick. "You keep doing that...gonna happen pretty soon."

"All," Brandon says, "over," he twists his hand, "my face."

When Brandon's done talking, he leaves his mouth open with the tip of his tongue resting on his lower lip. Fighting to keep his eyes open, Hunter gives it up with a low groan, thinking, even as he comes all over Brandon's face, that this sight will never get old.

"Mmmmm...yeah," Brandon says, licking his lips.

"Your mouth," Hunter manages to say a moment later. "Should be illegal." He sits back a little and then reaches out to run his fingers over Brandon's wet cheek. When he pushes them into Brandon's mouth, Brandon licks and sucks at them and God, but Hunter wants to get hard again, right fucking now.

Since he's not fifteen, he finally sighs. "We should get up before one of us puts his back out."

"Also, I'm feeling kind of sticky."

A short time later, they're standing on the small balcony while Hunter grills a couple of steaks. "You know if there are any empty places in this building?" Brandon asks.

"You guys looking to move?"

"Yeah, we've been thinking about it. I mean if it wouldn't be weird. Bum and Ali are looking to get a place in this part of the city too."

Hunter thinks it over. On the one hand, he likes the idea of Brandon, and Haylee for that matter, being just down the hall. On the other hand, if things don't work out.... No, even if this thing with Belt doesn't work out, Hunter can't imagine not liking the guy. And having Bum around would make it less obvious.

 _And there's a good chance I'll be living somewhere else in a few months._ The Giants have control of him until 2014, but there's nothing to keep them from trading him away in the offseason. Bum and Brandon, on the other hand, will be with the team for a while. In the end, where they live might not have much to do with him.

"I don't think it'd be weird," he says, shoving that thought away and concentrating on the here and now.. "Might be kind of fun. Maybe I'll finally get to meet Kristal."

"She's really adorable," Brandon says with a grin. "Pretty hot too."

"You ever been to Mitchell Brothers?"

Brandon nods. "Yeah. When I was still with Fresno. Some of us came up for a weekend and blew a ton of money we didn't have. It's a nice place though; not sleazy. Well, not sleazy for a strip club. You ever been?"

"Nah. There's a place like it in Philly though. We went a few times." Hunter shrugs. "The girls were pretty, but not really my thing."

"Yeah. And now, of course, I wouldn't be caught dead in the place. I mean really, getting a lap dance from my wife's girlfriend would be a little weird, even for me."

"Yeah, I can see that." Hunter checks the steaks and turns them over. "Speaking of weird for you, my being toppy really isn't a problem? Because I can tone it down."

"No, I like it. I don't really let guys I fool around with get toppy. Well not that way. I mean I bottom almost all the time." He laughs a little. "Because it's not gay if you're the one on top and honestly, I like it. But I don't let guys do the kinds of things you've done and I don't let guys tell me what to do."

Before Hunter can stop himself, he says, "but you let me."

"Yeah," Brandon says with a little smile. "I do. I like it with you; I trust you."

"Oh," Hunter says, swallowing hard. "I...if I ever do anything...I mean you can. Trust me."

In spite of the fact that Hunter must sound like a complete idiot, Brandon just grins at him.

Later that night, Hunter wakes up. It's two in the morning and when he comes back from the bathroom, there's just enough light in the bedroom for him to see Brandon. He's lying on his stomach, one knee pulled up just a little and Hunter just leans in the doorway and looks at him. Earlier, in spite of talking about topping and bottoming, they had pretty vanilla sex--Hunter fucking Brandon with no begging or bondage or anything unusual.

And it was good, better than kinky sex with other guys. That in and of itself wouldn't be that big a deal; it'd just mean that they're sexually compatible.

Thing is, everything's better with Brandon. Hanging out playing video games, playing on the same team, just being together...all better than it ever has been with other guys. So yeah, fine.

He's in love.

What he's supposed to do with that information, Hunter doesn't know.

* * *  
 _September 10-12_  
 _@Rockies_  
 _L 5-6_  
 _W 9-8_  
 _W 8-3_

They're on a plane the next morning. With Denver's only an hour away, Boch and the powers that be decided it would be better if they slept at home. Hunter and Brandon think "sleeping at home" is pretty funny, but they manage not to laugh too much. Hunter has no problem keeping things professional in the clubhouse and on the field, but it seems that airplanes are sort of neutral territory. Or maybe it's just remembering the way he and Brandon blew each other in the shower early that morning. Whatever it is, it makes Hunter want to snuggle up next to Brandon.

He doesn't. Bum and Brandon sit next to each other and Hunter ends up sitting with Crawford. It's a quick enough flight that by the time you get your phone out to play games, they're telling you to turn it off again, so he and Crawford just talk about music and playing at altitude.

Being in love doesn't seem to make a difference in the clubhouse or during practice or even when the game starts. It doesn't even seem to be an issue when Josh Rutledge gets on base and Hunter sees him chatting with Brandon. It could be anything because Brandon can be pretty chatty, but then, in the dugout after that inning, Brandon turns to Hunter. "I'm gonna be busy tonight."

He looks a little nervous, but Hunter just nods. "Rutledge?"

"Um...yeah."

"Okay."

Brandon gives him a weird look, but Hunter needs to be on deck. Whatever, he thinks, grabbing his helmet.

He pokes at idea a couple times during the game, but all he can think is that Rutledge is a cute kid. Hunter wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers.

Brandon has a drink with everyone in that little bar they all like and then he takes off. Hunter sticks around; they're all fairly quiet like they always are after a loss, but it's nice to be with people instead of sitting in your hotel room wondering what you could have done differently.

"Hey," Romo says as he settles down next to Hunter.

"Hey."

"Look, this is none of my business...." Romo begins and then laughs a little. "Ever notice how people always say that just before they make it their business?"

"Yeah," Hunter says with a smile. "What's up?"

"About Belt...."

"You do know Vogey and I already had this conversation."

"Not this conversation. You guys are...sort of seeing each other, right?"

Hunter has no idea how Romo knows, but then again, Romo sees a lot of things other people don't. "Yeah," he says. "Since that night in Chicago. Why?"

"Just...he's probably not going to change. You're a good guy and I don't want to see you...."

"Wait, you're worried about me?" Hunter laughs a little. "How did we go from being worried about him to being worried about me? In the space of what, ten days?"

Romo shrugs, but he still looks concerned. He's serious, Hunter realizes. On the one hand, it really isn't Romo's business, but on the other hand, it's kind of sweet.

"I'm good, dude," he tells Romo. "If I were the jealous type, I wouldn't be involved with a married guy."

"Don't know how you do it. I'd be...I guess I'm just a one person guy."

"Room for all types, right?"

"Totally." Romo clinks his beer bottle against Hunter's.

Hunter sticks around for another round and then makes his way back to his room. After changing into sweats, he thinks about watching something, but there's nothing on and he doesn't really feel like doing any hardcore gaming either. Instead, he fires up his laptop and plays some Plants vs Zombies. He's not sure if Brandon will be coming back here to Hunter's room or not. Most of his stuff is here and he has a key card for the room; but he might wait until morning. Tomorrow's another night game, which means they can all sleep in a little, so maybe Brandon will just show up in the morning.

A half hour later, Hunter's relaxed enough to put his computer aside. He's just finished brushing his teeth when the door opens.

"Hey," Hunter says.

"Hey." Brandon smiles at him but it's not a very comfortable smile.

"There's tequila or beer," Hunter says. "If you want something."

"Lemme brush my teeth first."

Hunter's lounging on one of the beds with a bottle of water when Brandon comes out of the bathroom. There's still something something weird going on, something a little off, but Hunter can't figure out what is it. He watches as Brandon pours a couple fingers of tequila into a drinking glass. Hunter can't stand tequila, but Brandon likes it and Hunter's less likely to cheat if it's the only hard liquor around.

"Gross," Brandon says, after taking a sip. "Toothpaste and tequila."

"Blech." Hunter holds out his water bottle. "Want some water?"

"Nah, I'm good." After another sip of tequila, Brandon puts his glass down on the nightstand and starts undressing.

"So," Hunter asks. "How was Rutledge?"

"You want to know?"

"Only if you want to talk about it."

"I didn't think you'd...." Brandon's voice trails off and he shrugs.

"I'd offer to leave," Hunter says after it becomes clear that Brandon's not going to finish his sentence. "But this is my room. So instead, why don't you tell me what's bugging you?"

"Nothing," Brandon says with a scowl. "Of course you want me to go."

"Did I say that?" It feels like Brandon's trying to pick a fight and Hunter frowns as he tries to figure out why. "Wait," he says and now he is a little pissed off. "is this the part where I'm supposed to be jealous?"

Brandon looks down at the pajama pants in his hand and says nothing.

"Did you even _want_ to have sex with him? Or was this some kind of fucking test? Because I'm beginning to feel a little jerked around here."

"I...fuck...." Brandon drops his pajamas and sits down on the bed next to Hunter. "You're...I'm sorry."

He looks so miserable that Hunter's brief surge of irritation passes. "Hey," he says, reaching out to put a hand on Brandon's arm. "Talk to me?"

"I married someone who knows what I'm like." Brandon pauses and then slides down onto the bed until he's right up against Hunter's side. "What are the odds I'd get that lucky again? That I'd find someone...a boyfriend...you. Someone who understands."

"You're not as comfortable with it as you want to be, are you?" Hunter asks as he wraps an arm around Brandon's waist. "You're still worried that people are judging you. That I'm judging you.

"Sometimes."

"Brandon." Hunter pauses and kisses the back of Brandon's neck. "I don't think anything is wrong with you. You could fuck six different guys in the next five days and or no guys, including me, and I'd still...I'd still want you in my life. Okay?"

"You don't think I'm a whore?"

"Did Rutledge fucking say something? Because I can ask Bum to hit him tomorrow."

"Huh? No he didn't say anything. We didn't do much talking." Brandon shrugs. "I guess I'm not...like you said, not always comfortable with it."

Normally Hunter doesn't think much about the five years age difference between them, but right now Brandon sounds incredibly young. "You're miles ahead of most people," he says. "And when you want something different, when you don't fall into a neatly labeled box, you're kind of out there on your own."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I mean," Hunter says. "Look at me. I'm involved with a married guy. Conventional wisdom says that someone's cheating. But your wife seems to like me, I like her, my roommate likes you...." He kisses Brandon again. "Remember what you told me? How you're making it up as you go along?"

"Yeah," Brandon says and Hunter can feel him relax. Hunter nudges him until Brandon's on his back and then goes up on one elbow.

"You need to remember one thing," he says. "You're not going this alone. You have Haylee and you...you have me."

"That means...I really do feel lucky."

Brandon reaches up and slides his hand along the back of Hunter's neck. Giving it a little tug, he drags Hunter down for a kiss. It starts light and sweet, but then Brandon moans a little and opens his mouth. Brandon tastes like tequila and toothpaste, but Hunter doesn't really care as he kisses Brandon hard.

"Did you get off?" he asks when he finally pulls back.

"He blew me," Brandon says. '"But, hi, twenty-four here. Give me a half hour and I'll be good to go."

"Mmmm...yeah. And I'll have more time to listen to you beg."

"You're too good to be true."

"I thought that was you," Hunter says. When Brandon looks a little skeptical, Hunter leans down and gives him a quick kiss. "I mean it."

"Sorry," Brandon says. "It's just...I have my moments."

"S'okay," Hunter says and bends down to kiss him again.

Later, after Hunter spent a good ten minutes making Brandon beg before letting him come, they're spooned up together. "Can I tell you something?" Hunter says.

"Sure."

"That first night in Chicago, you said something about getting laid a couple days before. And I kept trying to figure out who it was. Partly because I'm nosy but mostly because I thought it was hot. Imagining you with whoever, I mean."

"Really?"

"Yup. And earlier, when you said Rutledge blew you? I gotta tell you, thinking of him on his knees in front of you is pretty fucking hot." Hunter nuzzles the back of Brandon's neck. "I'm never going to ask you for details, but if you ever want to talk about it...."

"Castro," Brandon says. "In Houston last month. It was Castro."

"I'll be damned," Hunter says. "He any good?"

"Yeah. A little rough, but I kind of encouraged that." Brandon pauses but just when Hunter is figuring the conversation is over, he adds, "I don't always let guys fuck me, but we actually talked for a while and he seemed like a nice guy. Well, that and I was pretty horny."

"He is a nice guy. Good catcher too."

"Yeah and he's not bad at pitching, if you know what I mean."

Hunter laughs and nips at Brandon's shoulder. "Dork."

"So yeah, we talked for a while and then I ended up bent over a chair. Dude's got some stamina." He turns a little so he can look at Hunter. "Not as good as you though. Like I said the other night, I can let go with you. With other guys...I've got hold some things back."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Hunter says. He's a little less tongue tied than he was the other night, but he still feel a little curl of warmth in his chest.

"Me too," Brandon says before snuggling back up to Hunter.

* * *

Hunter's a little surprised when Brandon mumbles something, rolls over and goes back to sleep when the alarm goes off. He's used to Brandon getting up early, but then he's used to Brandon leaving early. Apparently, Brandon's decided he doesn't care who sees him leave Hunter's room.

"Gonna go eat," Hunter says. "And hit the weights."

"Mmm 'kay."

As Hunter settles down to breakfast, Crawford suddenly appears out of nowhere. "You mind if I...?"

Wondering what now, Hunter nods and gestures to the opposite side of the table. "Sure."

Crawford doesn't waste any time; as soon as the server's taken their orders, he takes a deep breath. "Is it weird?" he asks. "I mean...Belt...last night."

"Not really. Should it be?"

"I dunno. I've been thinking about...." He sighs. "Fuck."

"Okay," Hunter says because really, he feels sorry for the kid. "You've been thinking about asking him to show you a few things and now you don't know if that's a good idea because it's so casual with him. And then there's me and you don't understand how it works with us."

"Um...yeah, pretty much." Crawford's face is a little pink and he's finding his place setting really interesting. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with it."

"Nah, it's okay. You can ask Gay Uncle Hunter anything."

Crawford laughs. "Thanks. I just. Look, I've been talking to Jalynne about stuff and she's okay with it if it's just guys. I don't want to be with other women but...we watch gay porn together and I think it's hot."

"But you're not sure about the real thing?"

"Yeah. I figured Brandon could...I thought he'd make it easy. That he'd understand if I couldn't or if it didn't work for me." He scowls. "It's not that I think he's a slut...."

"Yeah you do," Hunter interrupts him. "Everyone on this team thinks he's a slut." He remembers what Victorino said. "Everyone in baseball thinks he's a slut. Hell, he thinks he's a slut. The thing is, unlike most people he doesn't think being a slut is a bad thing."

At least Brandon doesn't think that most of the time. Hunter sees no reason to share Brandon's insecurities with Crawford though.

"What about you? It really doesn't bug you that...that he fucked Josh Rutledge last night?

"Two things. One, they didn't fuck. Two, the only thing that bugged me about it is that I didn't get to watch. And even that wasn't a huge issue."

Crawford still looks confused, like he can't really believe Hunter.

"Why doesn't anyone on this team have a problem with Brandon?" Hunter asks. "Why do you all just shrug and say that it's just Brandon being Brandon?"

"Because it is?"

"Yeah, but this is major league sports and he fucks a lot of guys, which you know...tends to be frowned on by most jocks, even the ones in the closet. Especially the ones in the closet. You know why it doesn't bug anyone? Because all of you are right. It is just Brandon being Brandon. And knowing that, why would I want him to be anyone else?" 

"Huh." Crawford pauses while the server brings their food.

"Exactly. If the idea of being with someone who sleeps around is a problem, then you really should find some other guy to experiment with. But if you are looking to experiment, then why not do it with someone who knows what the hell they're doing?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"No one's pushing you."

"Well no. I just...I want to."

Before Hunter can say anything else, Brandon slips into the booth next to Crawford. "Hey," he says, nudging Crawford with his shoulder. "Couldn't get back to sleep," he adds looking at Hunter before reaching out toward Hunter's plate.

"Stop it," Hunter says, putting a protective hand over his bacon. "Who do you think you are, Savanna?"

Crawford stares back and forth between the two of them.

Before Hunter can help it, he says, "oh, you do paleo?"

Brandon cracks up. "I said fingers," he says while laughing like an idiot.

"Plural," Hunter adds, snickering.

Crawford is staring at them like they're crazy, which, Hunter thinks as he tries to stop laughing, they probably are.

"Sorry," Brandon says. "You had to be there."

"I figured."

They're silent for a while while Brandon orders and Hunter and Crawford eat.

"So," Brandon finally says to Crawford. "Is this a random breakfast, or did you get a little weirded out last night?"

"I uh...." Crawford scowls a little. "How did you know I was weirded out?"

"The way you looked when I left the bar." Brandon dumps two packets of sugar into his coffee. "Did Hunter reassure you?"

"Gay Uncle Hunter," Hunter says with a grin. "We're good."

Brandon looks from Crawford to Hunter and back again. "How good is good? You wanna come up and have a drink or something after the game?" Before Crawford can answer, Brandon adds. "It can just be a drink or two. Seriously."

"Sounds good."

Crawford looks a lot less nervous and Hunter glances over at Brandon. How the hell does he do it?

* * *

They win and they'll take it even if 9-8 is a Coors Field kind of win. Brandon has a really good night; he's still grinning broadly when they make their way back to Hunter's room.

Crawford brings a bottle of rum and a six pack of coke with him and Hunter gives up and has a splash of rum over ice. He's careful though, and it has nothing to do with keeping to his diet. He's not sure if Crawford's going to want him to stick around or not, but he wants to be relatively sober regardless.

They talk about the game, of course. Coors has been insanely lively lately, even for Coors, and there's the usual talk about wanting to have a home stadium like that and whether or not the Rockies are using the humidor.

Brandon's sprawled on one of the beds and after a half hour of chatting and drinking, he pats the bed next to him. "C'mere."

When Crawford settles on the bed, Brandon smiles at him and tugs him down a little until they're leaning against each other. Brandon takes another sip of his drink and then turns to put it on the table. "Now yours," he says to Crawford. "We can get really drunk or we can fool around. But I won't do both. Not the first time, at least."

Crawford looks at him for a long moment and then nods and hands over his glass.

"You guys want me to take off for a while?" Hunter asks.

"It's up to you," Brandon says to Crawford.

"Were you serious earlier?" Crawford asks Hunter. "About watching him?"

"Yeah but this is different." Hunter leans forward in his chair. "If it's gonna be weird tomorrow, for either of you, then I'll go."

Crawford and Brandon exchange glances and then Crawford says, "I don't know how this could get any weirder."

"Rule one," Brandon says, his face serious. "The team and tomorrow's game always come first. This can, and will get weirder. You need to think about how you're gonna feel looking at me tomorrow when you remember that I've had your dick in my mouth or you've jerked me off or whatever happens. Are you going to be okay with me? With Hunter, if you look at him and remember him watching me blow you?"

"I...." Crawford pauses and spends a moment thinking it over. "You must do a lot of compartmentalizing. And you know, I do that too, with other things. So don't think I can't deal with it."

"You'd be surprised," Brandon says. "It's not just the team and the game. I like you and I don't want us to be uncomfortable around each other."

"Thanks, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Once a Flying Squirrel...."

"Always a Flying Squirrel."

It sounds so surreal that it takes Hunter a moment to remember that the Flying Squirrels are the Giants Double A team.

"And rule two?" Crawford asks.

"Say stop and we stop. Ask me to slow down and I slow down." Brandon leans in and kisses Crawford's neck. "This is supposed to be fun, so if it's not...."

"Got it," Crawford says with a little shiver. "That...that's good. My neck."

"Really?" Brandon moves around on the bed until he's sitting with his back to the headboard. "Back up a little...yeah like that."

When Brandon's finally gotten them both where he wants them, Crawford is sitting with his back to Brandon's chest. It's one hell of a sight and Hunter reaches down and adjusts his dick.

"Tip your head back," Brandon says. "Close your eyes and just let me...yeah, that's it." Brandon bends his head and mouths at Crawford's neck. As he does, he slides his fingers up into Crawford's hair and tilts Crawford's head a little. When Crawford gives a happy little sigh, Hunter finds himself wondering how this is going to go.

By the time Brandon's worked on his neck for a few minutes, Crawford is squirming and panting. "Let's get that shirt off," Brandon says. He and Crawford reach for the hem of Crawford's t-shirt at the same time. For some reason watching them both pull it over Crawford's head is oddly hot.

Crawford's hands fall back to the bed, but Brandon keeps touching him. When his long fingers stroke over one of Crawford's nipples, Crawford gasps harshly and his hands grab at the bedspread.

"Yeah?" Brandon murmurs, his mouth against Crawford's neck. "Good or too much?"

"Good, really good. You can...do more."

"Oh can I?" Brandon keeps nuzzling Crawford's neck as he pinches Crawford's nipple. "Harder?"

"Yeah, oh yeah...."

As Brandon keeps playing with Crawford's nipple, he slides his hands back up into Crawford's hair and tugs. "What about this? You like it to hurt a little?"

"Yeah," Crawford says, his voice breaking a little. "Is that okay?" Even as he's asking, he's reaching down to press a hand against the fly of his jeans.

"Of course it's okay. How about being told what to do?" Brandon asks. He glances up at Hunter and adds, "because if you're okay with it, Hunter's real good at telling people what to do."

Crawford opens his eyes and blinks a little, like he'd forgotten that Hunter was even in the room. Hunter gives him a smile and says, "up to you."

For a moment he's afraid they're pushing Crawford too hard, but then Crawford relaxes, slumping back into Brandon's arms. "Okay," he says, his voice rough.

"Remember," Brandon murmurs in his ear. "Tells us to stop...."

When Crawford remains silent, Hunter leans forward. "First of all, get your hand out of your lap. Yeah, that's good. Now tilt your head back...let Brandon kiss you."

Brandon flashes Hunter a quick smile; yeah, he's okay with being told what to do under these circumstances. And then he's kissing Crawford and wow, that's really fucking hot. By the time they pull apart Crawford's mouth is wet and a little red.

"Take your shirt off, babe." Hunter's not sure he can get away with that; it's Haylee's name for Brandon, not Hunter's, but under the circumstances Hunter's going to start tripping over names. And anyway, it looks like Brandon's okay with it. He pulls his shirt off.

"Gonna lay him down," he says and Hunter nods.

"Yeah," Hunter says. "Crawford, get on your back...Brandon...yeah, just like that."

Brandon's half on Crawford now, and when he kisses him, Crawford moans and his hips buck up. It's hot as hell, and Hunter just watches them for a couple of minutes. Brandon's got his hand up in Crawford's hair again; he's tugging Crawford's head back and alternating between biting on his neck and kissing him.

"Brandon," Crawford gasps. "Fuck."

"Pants off," Hunter says and the words are barely out of his mouth before Crawford starts fumbling with his fly. Brandon's in sweats and once he's out of them, he reaches down to help Crawford.

Hunter's seen Crawford naked plenty of times, but now he gets to look all he wants instead of just glancing. And he gets to see him rolling around on a bed with Brandon. There are, Hunter thinks with a grin, several thousand fans, male and female, who would pay good money to see what he's seeing.

"What do you want?" Brandon asks. "Because you look so good...I could just rub off on you right now."

"No," Crawford says. "I want...I want to really know I'm with a guy."

Hunter's thinks Brandon coming all over Crawford wouldn't feel like being with a girl, but he's pretty sure he knows what Crawford means.

"Lie back, babe," he says. "And let him get you off."

When Brandon falls backwards onto the bed, Crawford goes up on one elbow and just looks at him. Hunter can't blame him; stretched out like this, Brandon is a six foot five invitation to sin. "Hard to forget you're with a guy," Brandon says with a little chuckle.

"Yeah." Crawford grins. "I think hard's the right word." He bends down to kiss Brandon, running a hand up his thigh at the same time. Crawford's touch isn't tentative and when he strokes Brandon's dick, Brandon arches into his hand.

"Lube's on the nightstand," Hunter says.

"Not sure I need lube for this," Crawford says as he pulls away from Brandon's mouth. "If you know what I mean...."

He scoots down on the bed and presses his mouth to Brandon's hip. "Damn," Brandon says, going up on his elbows to watch as Crawford moves over, slow kiss by kiss.

"Thought you said he was gunshy," Hunter says.

Crawford laughs a little. "Been working on that...."

With Crawford's head in the way, Hunter can't see much, but if Brandon's expression is anything to go by, Crawford's getting something right.

"Fuck," Brandon gasps, his hands moving over Crawford's shoulders.

"Keep your hips on the bed," Hunter says.

"Can I...pull his hair?" Brandon pauses. "Please?"

"Can he?"

"Yeah," Crawford murmurs, before lowering his head again. He grunts a little when Brandon's hands tangle in his hair, but then his head's moving again.

It's weirdly hot, judging Crawford's actions by Brandon's reactions. If this were porn, Hunter would be able to see everything, but this is totally working for him. He thinks about jerking off, but he'd rather have one of them get him off later. Crawford shifts positions until he can slide a hand in between Brandon's legs and Brandon's hands tug hard on Crawford's hair.

"Oh fuck," Brandon says. "Fuck...Brandon!"

"What's he doing?"

"Sucking me off...and he's got a finger up in me." Brandon lets go of Crawford's hair with one hand and grabs onto the bedspread hard.

"Yeah? You want to fuck him, Crawford?"

Crawford shakes his head a little and then pulls up with an obscene slurp. "Want to watch you do it," he says. "Maybe jerk him off while you do."

"Oh God, please?" Brandon says.

"Yeah, I think we could do that." Hunter's attempt to sound casual is probably ruined by the speed at which he gets out of his chair, but he really doesn't care. He's too busy pulling off his clothes. "Wanna get him ready for me?" he asks as he digs through one of his bags looking for a rubber.

"You guys are trying to kill me," Brandon says. Crawford's got the lube; Brandon shudders and tilts his head back when Crawford starts prepping him.

"Hell of a way to go," Hunter says. He settles on the bed behind Brandon, rolling the condom on as he watches Crawford. Crawford clearly knows what he's doing; Brandon's panting and shaking by the time Crawford sits back.

"Okay," Hunter says. "Hands and knees for now."

Crawford slides to the foot of the bed--and thank God for king sized beds, Hunter thinks as he grabs Brandon's hips. "Oh fuck yeah," Brandon moans. He pushes back with his hips and Hunter lets him, giving him a couple moments to adjust.

"Okay," Hunter says, "sit back with me...yeah like that." He sits back, pulling Brandon back with him.

"Oh God," Brandon says, once he's on Hunter's lap, back to Hunter's chest. "Fuck...that's that good."

"All yours," Hunter says. Grabbing Brandon's hips, he sets a slow pace. Brandon slouches down a little, enough so that Hunter can look over his shoulder.

Crawford just stares for a moment. "Goddamn," he finally says before moving in to kneel in front of Brandon. "You look fucking good like this."

Whatever Brandon was going to say is lost when Crawford leans forward and kisses him. By the time Crawford pulls back, both are panting and Brandon's squirming.

"You want him to jerk you off?" Hunter asks before biting down on Brandon's ear.

"Yeah...please? Please, Brandon?"

"Jesus, no wonder everyone wants you." Crawford's voice is rough and he shoves up against Brandon, pushing him back against Hunter's chest. They're kissing again and, fuck, Hunter can hear it, all slick sounds and heavy breathing.

"Work him hard," Hunter growls. "Gonna fuck you, babe...right up into his hand."

"Oh fuck," Brandon moans, his hips moving as Hunter fucks up into him with short, hard thrusts. "Fuck...Hunter...Brandon...."

He's going down and going down hard; Hunter pauses for a moment and whispers "green?" in Brandon's ear.

"Yeah," Brandon says, sounding a little more with it. "All green here...you okay, Brandon?"

"Green?" Crawford asks. "As in go?"

"As in go," Brandon says as Hunter starts to move again. "As...oh god, yeah...get your hand on my dick. Please?"

Crawford crowds in close, kissing Brandon again. Even muffled by Crawford's mouth, Brandon's loud and he gets even louder when Hunter bites his shoulder. Brandon holds out for longer than Hunter expected; he's not sure what Crawford's doing but if Brandon's increasingly desperate noises are any indication, it's pretty damn good.

"Fuck," Brandon finally moans as he pulls away from Crawford's mouth. "Oh fuck...guys please...c'mon...Hunter, let me...."

In spite of his intention to maintain some kind of control, Hunter's pretty close too. He goes still, gripping Brandon's hips hard. "What're are you gonna do for BCraw here?"

"What," Brandon says, panting hard. "What do you want? Wanna fuck me?"

"Fuck, I don't know," Crawford says. He kisses Brandon again, and then pulls back. "Blow me," he says. "I want to see your mouth on me."

"Oh fuck yeah," Brandon says. "Sounds perfect...Hunter? Fuck me?"

Hunter thinks of making him beg more, but no, not in front of Crawford. "Bring him off," he says to Crawford. Brandon starts making that noise, the one that drives Hunter wild and, as usual, Hunter wants to hear more of it. Keeping his grip on Brandon's hips, he fucks him as hard as he can in this position.

It's good, so fucking good and then it gets better when Brandon leans his head back on Hunter's shoulder, shouts wordlessly and comes hard. Hunter lasts maybe a minute longer and then he feels Crawford's hands over his, pressing down onto Brandon's skin. There will be bruises tomorrow, he thinks and yeah, that's enough. Biting down on Brandon's shoulder, he thrusts up one more time and then comes hard.

Hunter's still breathing hard when Brandon pulls Crawford into a quick kiss. "Lie back...let me take care of you."

"Twist my arm," Crawford says, settling back on the bed.

"Kinky," Brandon says. As he leans forward, Hunter settles back against the headboard.

"I can be," Crawford says. He goes up on his elbows and looks down at Brandon as Brandon bends down. "Oh fuck," he mutters. "Your fucking mouth...."

"Mmmmmm," Brandon hums.

Hunter watches with amusement as Crawford bites his lip and tilts his head back. Once again, he has to judge what's going on by watching facial expressions. He knows what Brandon's mouth feels like but it's interesting to see Crawford's reaction. Clearly Brandon's going all out because it doesn't take long before Crawford starts moaning. He's shaking a little and Hunter can tell that he's fighting to keep still.

"It's okay," Hunter says. "You can move. Can't he, babe?"

"Mmmmhmmmm...."

Crawford's tentative at first, but when Brandon braces himself, his hips start to move faster.

"Yeah," Hunter says, leaning forward. He rests a hand on Brandon's ass. "That's it...take it...make him feel good."

After another moment, Crawford reaches down, his hand sliding through Brandon's short hair. He settles for running his hand over Brandon's shoulder, fingers moving restlessly across Brandon's pale skin. "God," he says, his voice rough and hoarse. "Oh God...oh fuck...fuck, Brandon...." He throws his head back and his whole body shudders as he comes.

"Jesus," Crawford says, staring as Brandon sits up and wipes his mouth.

"Good, isn't he?" Hunter says, pulling Brandon back into his arms. "Really," he adds, nuzzling Brandon's shoulder. "You're amazing."

"Yeah well...." Brandon's neck is a little red. "I'm inspired." He reaches out and grabs Crawford's arm and tugs until they're all tangled up together Brandon in the middle.

"We good?" Hunter asks, running his hand up Crawford's back.

"Better'n good," Crawford says. "Um...Jaylynne's gonna ask me about this. Can I give her details?"

"Depends," Brandon says. "Will it get you laid?"

"Hell yeah." Crawford laughs. "If I'm lucky, it might get me fucked."

"Seriously?" Brandon asks.

"Yeah," Crawford says with a grin. "How'd you think I learned to give a blow job? She got me over my...what'd you say? That I was gunshy?"

"That's how Brandon put it."

"You totally were," Brandon says.

"Did it ever occur to you," Crawford asks, his voice more serious. "That you're kind of intimidating?"

"I am?"

"Just a little," Hunter says.

"Huh. I don't mean to be."

"Nah, it's okay," Crawford says. He leans in for a kiss and, while they're kissing, Hunter nuzzles the back of Brandon's neck. "It's all good...no weirdness."

Later, once Crawford's left and Hunter's spooned up with Brandon, Brandon sighs a little. "That was fun."

"It was," Hunter says. "If he wants to do it again...I'm good with it, if you are."

"How the fuck are you so awesome?" Brandon turns until he's facing Hunter. "I mean it, you're...it's so easy with you. It's like we've been together forever."

"Yeah," Hunter says. "Feels like that for me too."

_-end-_

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got back to this series so here you are...more adorkable Thing!verse boys!


End file.
